I've only read two Backman books prior to this one, and they were very different from each other (Anxious People and Beartown). I loved Anxious People and liked Beartown. My Friends falls between the two - I REALLY liked it (4.5 stars, rounded up).

My Friends tells the story of a group of friends over 25 years. It's told in two timelines - one which is present day, one which goes back to the summer when the friends were 14 years old. Each of the kids had their own hardships and struggles with their home lives. Each of them found solace in the friendships they formed with each other.

Even though the story is propelled forward by just one of the friends, I felt that each of the characters in the friendship group were well fleshed out (though I would've liked a little more of Ali's story). The author chose not to reveal the first name of one of the characters until pretty far into the book, which was a strange choice to me.

One of the things that I struggle with when reading Backman books is all the little platitudes sprinkled throughout. While I ultimately end up highlighting a lot of them (because let's face it, they are accurate and make you pause and think about them), they can still feel overused to me. I ran into a little bit of that in this book, but nowhere near as much as in Beartown, where it actually became a distraction for me.

I enjoyed both the present day and past timelines, though at times the story felt like it was dragging a bit. At nearly 450 pages, I do think the book is a bit longer than it needs to be, but overall it such a beautiful story of childhood friendship that I can forgive the length.

This is a book about friendship, hardship, joy, grief, sorrow, loss, love, and art. Ultimately, it's a very beautiful and real story that perfectly relates the human experience. It's depressing at some points and uplifting at others. But isn't life the same way?

I would definitely recommend this book to others. If you are already a Backman fan, you are sure to love it. If you've never read his work, this would be a good book to start with.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Number of stars I give this book: 🌟♾️
Number of times I cried while reading it: 😭7

It's not secret that Fredrik Backman is one of my all time favourite authors. To me, he writes about the human condition like no one else. His observations are eerily accurate and profound. Their feelings, their desires, their juxtapositions, their vulnerabilities. And he does it all written in such straightforward language, it retains its depth and meaning even when translated from Backman's native Swedish to English. How fitting that this book is about geniuses, because I truly believe Backman really is one.

What is the book about? I could say it's about art. I could say it's about friendship. I could say it's about grief and it's about survival. But really it's about so much more. It's about Louisa and Ted and a famous painting of teen friends created twenty-five years earlier and how that painting came to be. It would be a disservice to try and guess where a Backman book is going to take you, because the power is in the journey.

A little warning that the pacing of this study is non-linear and at times it felt more rushed and at others it took it's time, slowly unraveling, but with all Backman books it takes you exactly where it needs to go. It almost felt reflective of how I wanted to read it- I equally wanted to savour it slowly but also devour it and read it in one sitting (I did the latter).

I cried. I laughed. I trusted. And I loved- oh boy did I love.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

“My Friends” by Frederik Backman may be one of the best books I’ve ever read. In a world full of despair, violence, and cruelty, four lost teenagers in a seaside village band together in a friendship they have each other’s backs and will stop at nothing to help one of their group achieve his dream of becoming an artist. Twenty-five years later, the story of this friendship comes alive in the telling of it to Louisa, an aspiring artist who has also suffered greatly in her short life. Louisa, who was immediately recognized as “one of them” by the artist of the group, is given riches beyond her imagination. Not just in terms of money, but in terms of love and acceptance. And hope.

I laughed and I cried while reading this book. Sometimes the writing was so beautiful it just took my breath away. Many thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC of this incredible book. My opinion is my own.

I was not able to get this onto my Kindle to read. :( I tried multiple times and i'm not sure what the problem was. I have heard great things though and if a physical copy were available, I would read it asap! I have loved everything i've read by Backman thus far and am positive I would love this as well! His writing plus a story about friendship... what's not to love?!

I’ve read just shy of 90 books thus far in 2025, many of which were fantastic. But, since finishing My Friends late (LATE) last night, it’s officially risen to #1. Five stars is really just not enough stars for this one, my friends. It’s pure Backman, with all the humor and pathos and love and pain and beautiful insights into humanity that I’ve found in every one of his books.

I loved these characters, and while I didn’t envy their circumstances, I sure did envy their friendship. Once in a very great while, a book comes along with characters who truly come to life and stay with you long after the last page. I’ve just added some new friends to the list.

Thank you Fredrik Backman, Atria Books, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

Fredrik Backman does it again! I loved this book from start to finish. The characters and their stories made for another roller coaster of emotions moving from laughter to tears. I would recommend this to anyone.

Backman's work is full of nostalgia and wonder. This one will appeal to his usual fans, and the road trip element may make this the book of the summer.

Fredrick Backman is a terrific writer but this book was tough to read for me. The 4 friends had such hard and sad lives. It was beautiful how they had each other and took what joy they could in the small things. It was also a beautiful reminder that one person/one small encounter can make a life changing impact on another person. Overall though it was hard for me to read because it was sad and a little depressing.

I am a huge Fredrik Backman fan & his new book My Friends may be my most favorite! I laughed and cried more times than I can count & felt all the emotions so deeply when reading this. If you read one book this year, make sure this is it!!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, & the publisher for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Backman’s writing and characters are so amazing. The story moves slowly, it’s very character driven, but the message between is so heartfelt! I’ll get all teary eyed but then the next page I laugh out loud. That’s just how it is.

This book truly speaks to the beauty of art and friendship.

“Art is what can’t fit inside a person. The things that bubble over.”

Most of the time I know exactly what I want to rate a book as I’m reading it, and definitely by the time I’m done. This time I’m at a loss. My Friends is one of those books where I don’t know whether to rate it for my personal experience of reading or if the book accomplished what it meant to. Honestly, most personal reviews skew toward the former anyway, so maybe I shouldn’t worry about it!

I think Backman really has two lanes: the Anxious People lane and the Beartown lane. Anxious People is one of my all time favorite books. Beartown was not for me, and I think My Friends fits in that lane. To that end, I can’t wait to discuss this with my friend who loved the Beartown trilogy!

It is so much easier for me to pick out what I didn’t like than what I did, which probably tells me something about what my rating should be. Even though Backman skips around in time, I didn’t find that hard to follow, though I did think some of the sidebars could have been edited out. Just about every sad and terrible thing you can think of happening to a person happens in My Friends, which is not something I enjoy reading. The characters were so kitschy that they almost crossed the line into caricature, in my opinion.

As a person who verbally processes anyway, I think I need to be in conversation with other readers to nail down my thoughts about My Friends. I was interested enough in the story not to DNF, for what it’s worth.

Thank you Atria Books & NetGalley for an ARC of this novel. Fredrik Backman's My Friends is a beautifully written novel that explores the quiet, transformative power of friendship with tenderness and depth. Backman’s lyrical writing elevates the everyday moments between flawed, deeply human characters, showing how connection can flourish in even the most difficult circumstances. The story’s emotional weight is carried by its honest portrayal of love, regret, and enduring loyalty, leaving a lasting impression that is both heartbreaking and hopeful. At its core, My Friends is a celebration of the people who stand by us—especially when we don't deserve it. As one character reflects, “Sometimes, the people who stay are not the ones who shout the loudest, but the ones who sit beside you in silence the longest.”

Perhaps I set myself up for disappointment because I had high expectations of this book. There are two timelines to the book: one follows a group of four 14-year-old friends with hard lives, the other takes place 25 years later when one of those friends has become a famous artist. This book has a good storyline, but it just took too long to tell the story, so reading it felt like a chore at times.

Fredrik Backman has a specific way of writing, meandering and non-sequential, with story-altering life lessons and morsels of truth thrown in occasionally. In My Friends, you can expect an emotional rollercoaster and plenty of wisdom about friendship and chosen family. Truth be told, I was underwhelmed by the current story and didn't feel a strong connection to the two main characters. I LOVED the past story and wish the book would have been more of that. But that's just not how Fredrik Backman rolls.

Years ago, four teenagers carrying their own hardships spent a summer on a pier, forging a great friendship—a true love story.

Those warm, fleeting days were captured forever in a single painting that would go on to become world-famous.

Fast forward to the present day: Louisa, a teenager raised in the foster system and weighed down by grief, breaks into an art gallery to get a closer look at that painting. For years, a postcard of it had been her anchor—something she clung to through hard times.
Without spoilers, Louisa crosses paths with two people tied to the painting at a critical moment for all of them.

What follows is a masterclass in storytelling about friendship, coming of age, surviving grief, and learning to bear being human.

It’s a heartfelt, artful meditation on the enduring power of creativity, connection, and finding beauty even in life’s messiest moments.

My Thoughts: 4 Stars, A Few Notes

I loved this story from the start—but full disclosure, it took me months to finish. Why? Because every time I picked it up, I immediately started crying.
Backman hits the emotional notes fast and hard here—sometimes a little too hard.

It’s beautiful, but at times it felt almost like emotional manipulation. Like, HOW am I crying this hard at only 10 percent in?

That said, it’s not all grief and heartbreak. There’s a good bit of humor woven through, too.
I’d laugh out loud on one page, and find myself crying on the next. Only a writer like Backman can pull off that kind of emotional whiplash.

There are passages that are breathtakingly poignant—lines that capture something so essential about grief, friendship, or simply being human. While the dialogue felt a bit cheesy at times, the writing overall is so heartfelt and sincere that you can’t help but love it.

This is the kind of story you feel in your gut—the kind that lingers long after you’ve finished.

Bottom line: This book will emotionally waterboard you—and somehow you’ll thank it for the privilege.
If you want something raw, emotional, and beautifully messy, this one’s worth the hype. Just check the trigger warnings—and maybe stock up on tissues first.

Thank you to @NetGalley and @AtriaBooks for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I went in blind with this book. I have read a few Fredrik Backman books but not all of them. This book, this book I everything. Sad, funny, heartbreaking, uplifting, a true gift. The main character? Could it be the painting? A painting that brought 4 friends together? That brought a young teenage girl into the mix. This is a story of long stories, how a painting was made, how the artist got famous, and how this artist changed the lives of those around him. I could not put this book down. It was an emotional roller coaster of ups and downs. So much sadness, yet the characters prevailed. I have already placed holds at my library for 5 different co workers, this book is a must read!

*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*

<I>These were our bodies, and they were small, far too small, because they couldn't contain all our love.</I>

Sometimes books are hard. Sometimes books are easy. Sometimes they make you laugh, or cry, or ponder, or feel. Sometimes, and only the very best ones do this, they change a part of your chemistry. They peel back a layer and allow a little glimpse into another world, another life, another way to be. They remind you what it means to be young and in love with life, they remind you how lucky you are to be alive and well, they remind you to be thankful for what you have experienced or haven't experienced.

I always feel a little raw after reading one of Backman's stories, and MY FRIENDS is no different. Fredrik Backman has an uncanny ability to tell a story around an idea; and at the heart of this story is what it means to love. Not in a romantic sense, but the marrow deep love you have for your childhood friends, your parents, your children, the helpless bird you find in the grass and decide to nurse back to health, your kindred souls.

This book will give you as much as you let it, and dear friend, I hope you approach it with an open heart and mind.

I’m not even really sure how to rate this book to be honest. It feels like a story about absolutely nothing but also absolutely everything. The writing is stunning - it is poignant and meandering but also hits you right in the heart. I laughed out loud so many times and also felt so deeply for these characters. This was really beautiful and quirky and moving.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

As always, obsessed with Backman and how he compiles a story. I love his work and will always gravitate toward any new books he releases.

WOW!!! this was quite a story so unique. I couldn't get enough of the main characters Joar, Ted, Ali, Luisa, and of course the artist; these kids will live in my heart always. This story was impactful and the strength that all the characters posses is so admirable. The more i read the more i wanted to know!. An adventurous summer equals a lifetime of changes. I couldn't stop laughing at the shenanigans these kids would say in this book, i also cried a lot comes with the territory with such a wonderful story. This is quite a book and my first read from this author i highly, highly recommend it!!